THESELVA LALITHAMBIKAI TEMPLE, CHELLAPIRATTI, NEAR GINGEE, VILLUPURAM DISTRICT -TAMIL NADU
Introduction The Selva Lalithambikai Temple is located in Chellapiratti,near Gingee in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. Itsmain deity, Selva Lalithambika, is unique as she is depicted as a single formcombining the aspects of the goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Key feature of the temple is a four-foot-tall stone plateinscribed with Beejakshara mantras, with a statue of the goddess installedbelow it. Temple details Location: Chellapiratti, Gingee, Villupuram district, TamilNadu. Main Deity: Selva Lalithambikai. Chief deity- Lord Siva Unique Features: The main deity is a unique combination ofDurga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati in a single form. The temple's original form is a 4-foot-tallstone plate (yantra) with mantras inscribed on it. A 3-foot-tall idol of the goddess is installed below thestone plate. A statue ofMaharshi Rishya Shringa is also present in the temple. Legend King Dasharatha performed a Puthra Kameshti yagam for thesake of getting male child. As a resultof the yagam, Lord Sree Rama and his brothers were born. This yagam wasperformed by sage RishyaSringa. He was born to Vibhandava, the son of sage Kasyapa. Sage Rishya Sringa hada stone tablet. He considered it to be Ambal and worshipped it. This tabletcame to Tamil Nadu. It was given the holy name of Lalitha Selvambika. Later,the stone tablet itself was consecrated and an idol of Ambal was also placedbelow it. It is said that when AdiShankara went to Kanchi, he was shown a vision of the goddess of this place andguided him. The idol of Rishya Sringa is also here. History: The temple is ancient and considered to be over 1000 yearsold, with its yantra-based worship being a practice from ancient times. Architecture A five tier Rajagopuram and Vimana over sanctum based on Cholaarchitecture is a highlight of the temple. The temple has a mandapa and other features typical of atemple, and shrines for other deities. The temple includes: A five-tiered Raja gopuram at the entrance. A sanctum(garbhagriha) with a vimana in the Chola architectural style. An idol ofMaharshi Rishya Shringa. Shrines for other deities in the prakara (circumambulatorypath), including Sri Siddhi Vinayaka, Lord Maha Ganapathi, LordSubramania-Muruga, and shrines for Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma Shakti. Deities Presiding Deity: Meghanatha Swamy (Shiva) Main Deity: Selva Lalithambigai With eight holy hands, a crescent moon on her forehead, afive-headed serpent, and a spear, she sits in a peaceful pose on a lotuspedestal with her left leg folded and her right leg hanging. Her right hand is positioned toprotect the devotees, while her left hand is positioned towards herfeet. In her other hands, she holds the garland of letters and a kamandalam ofSaraswati, the conch shell, the chakram of Mahalakshmi, the pasam and angus ofParvati. It is believed that worshipping this Selva Lalithambika Amman givesone the strength to worship the three great goddesses, Durga, Lakshmi, andSaraswati. However, myths associated with this temple suggest that thisis the birthplace of several deities and figures, including Garuda, Aruna,Vali, Sugriva, Yama, and Shaneeswaran. At the Selva Lalithambigaitemple in Gingee, the main deity is represented in two forms: a primary,immovable icon and a three-foot bronze idol. This bronze idollikely serves as the utsava murthy, or processional deity, used for festivals and special occasionswhen the goddess is carried in procession. Details about the deities in the temple: Moolavar (Primary Deity): The main deity, Sri Akshara LalithaSelvambigai, is depicted on a four-by-two-foot stone slab, or yantra, which isinscribed with sacred mantras. It was originally consecrated by the sageRishyashringa during the Kritha Yuga. Utsavar (Processional Deity): For daily worship and specialevents like the Navarathri festival, a three-foot bronze idol of the goddess isplaced before the primary stone slab. This idol, embodying the combined aspectsof Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi, is taken out during temple festivals. The Navarathri festival, held in September–October, is amajor event during which the deity is taken out in procession for devotee Sub deities The temple also has murtis of Siddhi Vinayaka, Mahaganapatiand Muruga. There are three separate shrines dedicated to Shaktis of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahmain the temple. Stone tablet Once upon a time, they wrote mantras on stone tablets andworshipped them as gods. Therefore,this place is considered very ancient by time. This stone tablet isfour feet high and rectangular in shape. There are 12 square grids on thetablet. Around these grids are the subtle letters of the Bijatshara mantra ofthe world heroine Adiparasakthi.In the middle is the Tirusulam. The sun is engraved on the upper right side andthe moon on the upper left side. The image of the goddess is inthe form of a painting, combining the features of the three great goddesses asthe central figure. However, forthe sake of idol worship, an idol of the goddess has been installed one foothigh below the stone tablet. Worshipping Lakshmi,Saraswathi and Durga together. There are some temples where the three goddesses Durga,Lakshmi, and Saraswati are worshipped separately or together in some places.However, in this temple, one can witness the combined aspects of all threegoddesses in a single idol. Poojas Various poojas like Sri Lalitha Sahasra Nama Pusparchana andpoojas for Kataka Rasi.Devotees also perform abishekam and offer saris to the goddess as a form ofthanksgiving, and others may opt for Shashtiaptha Poorthi and Sathabishekamrituals. Specific poojas andrituals Sri Lalitha Sahasranama Pusparchana: This is considered ahigh form of worship and is performed to improve finances, resolve relationshipissues, and overcome life's setbacks. Poojas for Kataka Rasi: Devotees with this zodiac signperform this sacred ritual to remove afflictions, neutralize adverse planetaryeffects, and seek blessings for a happy marriage. Thanksgiving offerings: Devotees can perform abishekam andoffer saris to the Selva Lalithambikai as a way of giving thanks. Shashtiaptha Poorthi and Sadhabishekam: These rituals areperformed to receive blessings for longevity and divine grace. Festivals The main festival at the Selva Lalithambigai temple is Navaratri,which is celebrated with great fervour in September-October. Other significantevents include the daily rituals and the specific daily events like the ShivaAbhisekam on Mondays and Hanuman Chalisa Path on Tuesdays. Navarathri festival Period: September-October. Celebrations: The festival includes a daily Alankaram(dressing of the deity) and Homam (fire ritual) for each of the nine nights, honouringdifferent forms of the Goddess. Highlights: Special events during the 2025 Navarathriinclude: September 26: Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Alankaram and SriLalitha Sahasranama Homam. September 28: Sri Saraswathi Alankaram and Aksharabhyasa (aceremony for young children to start their education). October 1: Bathukamma, a Telangana festival. October 12: Raja Rajeshwari Alankaram, Shodasi Homam, and thefinal Maha Poornahuthi and Avabrudhasanam. Other festivals and daily events Shiva Abhisekam: Performed every Monday. Hanuman Chalisa Path: Performed every Tuesday. Soundarya Lahari: Performed every Thursday. Daily Poojas: The temple conducts daily Nithya Poojas,Sahasranama Parayanam, and Sarva Devatha Nithya Pooja throughout the year. Maha Mangala Harathi: A major evening ritual performed daily. Offerings Offerings at the Selva Lalithambigai Temple in Kanchipuraminclude performing abishek (a ritual bath) and offering a sari to the Goddess.Devotees also come to worship for blessings from Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathisimultaneously, which is said to be a benefit of worshipping SelvaLalithambigai. Abishek : Devotees perform a ritual bath for the Goddess. Sari Offering: A sari is offered to Mother SelvaLalithambigai as a form of thanksgiving. Simultaneous Worship: Worshipping Selva Lalithambigai isbelieved to provide the benefits of worshipping Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathiall at once. Specialty If one visit SelvaLalithambi he will get the merit of visiting the three great goddessesSaraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. Sage visited The popular belief is that Sage Rishyasringa offered prayersin the temple. There is an idol of sage Rishyasringa in this temple. The stone plate in the temple which is believed tobe a manifestation of Goddess Lalithambikai – Sage Rishyasringa is believed tohave worshipped Mother Goddess on the plate. Etymology "Chellapiratti" Name of the village originates fromits initial name Selvapiratti-Goddess of the temple-Seva Lalithambigai. It means this area or the village is very rich innature & people who have lived in that village were rich. The specialty of the village is the Lalitha selvambigai .Themain deity(god) of the temple is said to be very ancient nearly 60,000yrs.old.this deity have survived andretained here from lot of naturaldisasters of the past worlds. Thisvillage is surrounded by mountains which has Strange to view.(Lot of rocks have fallen & accumulated in the place. Location To reach the temple,take a bus from Villupuram to Gingee (about 38 km). From Gingee, take a bustowards Arani, which passes through Chellapiratti. The temple is located about half a kilometer from theChellapiratti bus stop. Those coming by car taxican follow the above direction. Timings The temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and from 4.00p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Address and Phonenumber Sri SelvaLalithambikai Temple, Chellapiratti-604 210 Phone 9865988281,9444067172 ASI Lot evidence have been discovered by the ASI( Indian archaeology)regarding this temple & ancient ofthis village. Compiled and posted by R.Gopalakrishnan on 12-10-2025. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/864819207.1298314.1760247891720%40mail.yahoo.com.
